The Winds of Death
Calm of the Storm Only at night is the city of Kanagawa truly alive. It is one of the largest metropolises in Fire Country largely due to the booming success of many of its premier businesses. Dazzling lights illuminate the sky and the cacophony of voices echoes through the densely populated streets. Never was there a better time for murder. Deep within the residential district lie the ruins of a once luxurious mansion, the acrid stench of death and decay hung in the air like a specter. Bodies littered the scorched ground, and blood stained the scattered debris. It was a war-zone. The clash of steel was deafening as two shadows danced to the song of death. Their audience a single man cowering in fright as his very life hung in the balance; the only question was who would be the first to kill him. A man with crimson hair and a jagged blade crashes onto the ground slamming his blade into the ground slowing his momentum as howling winds roar above him. His adversary a haunting beauty lands with unearthly grace as she regards him cooly with piercing eyes. An uncomfortable silence settles in the air, as both shinobi stare the other down. It is a welcome lull in their battle one which Kawakami is thankful for. He had not expected his opponent to be the Shikaze, commander of Konoha's ANBU division. Already he could see the political mind game being played, and couldn't help but be impressed by the Daimyo's play. The message to Konoha was clear, by hiring him the Daimyo had shown his displeasure and if they wanted to maintain a monopoly on their contracts they would need to prove themselves worthy. He did not envy their position. Sending the Shikaze was proof of their desperation. "Your reputation precedes you, Death's Breeze, had I been any other I might have perished." he said. Standing up he brushes the dust off his clothes non-chalantly, looking more confident than at any time during their fight. "But in your haste, our battle has escalated the explosions have likely alerted the city authorities by now. They're probably on their way as we speak. You have failed your mission. Accept that and retreat, and I won't have to cripple Konoha anymore than necessary." The threat while subtle was clear. Flee or face death. A shadow of a woman stood in front of the Uzumaki. She was obscured in shadows, as only her mouth was visible. Pant...pant. The woman panted as she was fatigued from the chase of her mission. Her face was completely obscured in shadows leaving only her mouth and parts of her torso and legs, but her eyes where consumed in the darkness of the shadows, making her face unclear as she was standing under a rather shaded part of the room, the one that was completely wrecked from the assault. She took a deep breath as she stopped panting in exhaustion "So you actually recognized me from my moves, I didn't expect much people have knowledge about me, but it seems my fame was spread beyond my realization." she said as the stormy weather emitted a lightning bolt, which dropped near their location, revealing her face for an instant. She had a mask on, her mouth was the only part that was not covered by the mask. The mask had the shape of a feline sort of creature. She then stepped out of the shadows, wearing her official ANBU uniform, which was pitch black, she had a sword in her hand, which had blood stains on it. Fūrin was standing face to face with the crimson haired man.They were eyeing each other. "He's right, this situation is not in my favor. If the citizens find out that a Konoha shinobi exterminated a well-known man in the land of fire, it would result in an outrage on Konoha. On the other hand, if I let him finish of this guy, Konoha would lose the Daimyō's trust. Damn it, what should I do." she thought to herself as her jaw tensioned. She then tried to maintain her calmness and switched it to a smirk, a smirk that signified her superiority. She was known to always have a smirk on her face. "Well then, if they are on their way, I better finish my job here. Now, tell me your name, I would very much like to know." she told the man as she held her sword tightly. The rain dropping from the sky started to washout the blood stains on the wall as the roof was destroyed allowing all of this water in the building. He raises an eyebrow curiously. "Awfully talkative for someone whose running out of time. I'm more surprised you haven't figured it out yet. Regardless I won't tell you who I am just because you're too dimwitted to piece it together." The sound of grinding stone and metal tears through the air as he rips his blade from the earth, hefting the enormous sword over his shoulder with a practiced ease while giving the kuniochi a steely look. "You get one warning. Then I'll destroy you." Raising his left hand into ram seal, his chakra spikes and a pulse of raw power radiates out, so intense is it that the chakra is actually visible. To either side of him the raging flames flickering across the mansion slither like snakes towards him before coiling next to him reshaping themselves into perfect replications, their hand's poised in different hand seals. "Leave. Now. Or prepare to face the might of the last ." "Sadly, he's correct. I can't come out victorious from this one. From what I'm seeing, I have two options. Firstly, I can execute this man and get the Daimyō's trust. However, then I will get the people to despise Konohagakure as I'm certain the word will circulate around the land of fire. This "Last Senju" will make sure of it. On the contrary, if I allow him to kill the man, Konohagakure will lose the trust of the Daimyō, which is no option. I do have to say though, I quite like his intimidations, flashy to say the least." She thought as she stood directly in front of the Senju. She was using the "Cloak of The Ruthless Assassin" in this mission as she thought it would be the most suited for an ANBU assassination mission. The sky rained quite heavily. The rain soaked the entire building as the storm was quite huge. The building itself was a wreck. The wood was broken as well as the walls. The smell of ash roamed the place after its destruction. The sound of lightning echoed in the place as the two shinobi stood face to face with each other. Fūrin looked up in the sky that seemed like it was crying. She then took a deep breath as she returned her sight towards the Senju once more. "Listen here, you who claims to be a Senju. I know the odds aren't in my favor. Nonetheless, there is a solution for this dispute." she said as she let a slight smirk, one that was enough to intimidate a wild bear. She looked at him with "dead" eyes. Ones that fumed with demise and blood thirst. It was felt in the atmosphere, her killing intent. She waited a couple of seconds before continuing the statement as she said "I can just annihilate both of you." as these words left her mouth, it was enough to terrify the strongest of shinobi as she was using the "Cloak of The Ruthless Assassin" meaning that she has the ability to plant fright in the hearts of shinobi just by her look and words. She was very good at it, she excelled in that as she managed to plant fear in anyone she met with just simple and concise words that hold many meanings inside. Was that the case with the Uzumaki? "Can't you smell it? the scent of death and demise is in this place. Look at this place well as you won't come out of here in once piece, I'll make sure of it." she said so as her smirk faded away. Fūrin wanted a way of intimidation. Her chakra would be satisfactory. She release some of her chakra, this caused air currents to blow with greats speed and force, just from the feel of her chakra. Air currents that had brunt force enough to break some more of the walls. Her chakra could be felt in the air, it was even higher than Kage caliber as she created very strong currents that some flew directly towards Kawakami. The man that was suppose to be the target got blown away by the currents and hit his head, which caused him to lose consciousness. The floor was crushed from the feel of her chakra and the stone walls were damaged. Her chakra could even match that of the first Hokage. "So what's your decision ... choose carefully." she said with a tone that hinted her sick intentions. This displays how good she can use her Cloaks. Fear at its base is just information. It is information that tells the mind when the body is peril, when there is something that could be potentially dangerous or harming to its existence. But fear and Kawakami have a long history, after-all it has been his constant companion since he was a child. Living a life on the run from Kirigakure's Hunter Nin Division, comprised of some of the worst monsters in all of the elemental nations, fear is something that Kawakami very well. That is why the fear he feels now is almost welcome. He had gained so much power, so much strength that it was rare for him to ever feel fear. This was good. Pride was the sin of any ninja, it crippled them, made them weak and open to attack. So when her chakra laced fear inducing killing intent washed over him, he didn't cower. When he felt it tear into his heart and try to rip open his mind, he welcomed it. Fear was powerful, and with it, one can learn to accomplish amazing things when motivated by fear. A smile wormed its way on his features as she spoke of death, and the certainty in which she believed in her victory. So she believed him paralyzed by fear? That her own anguish would overpower his senses and send him cowering for mercy? He inclines his head forward towards the kunoichi. "A ruthless killer offering her supposed victims mercy?" He scoffs shaking his head. "You are a pretender playing at being a ninja. You're a pawn in this game being played by those more intelligent and far more dangerous than you. And you claim to do this for the sake of the village?" He roars with laughter. "Far more is at stake then the petty ambitions of a single country and you don't even realize it." Only now could he understand the Daimyo's fears about the Hidden Villages, perhaps that's why he had been propositioned in the first place. Three Days Earlier ''---Somewhere in Konoha---'' There was anxiety in Konoha. Chūnin and Jōnin were running everywhere as if a crisis was going to happen. They were all whispering and talking about the same exact subject. "The Daimyō's Mission". The Daimyō had issued an assassination mission and needed it to be carried out. He requested Konoha's aide, but there was something unusual. He also requested support from another country. The message was clear. Konoha needed to earn the trust of the Daimyō once more. "Heh, so the old man is threatening us now." said [Sayotsu to a white-haired man as he was sitting on a fence. The winds were strong that day and blew hard and the two shinobi talked. The sealing expert, Sayotsu was sitting on the fence while Genji was leaning his back on it. "I see that the word spread quickly amongst the people of Konoha, the Daimyō isn't pleased." said Genji not uttering another word. He was rather concise with his talking. Never gave out any information more than needed. Sayotsu looked at the clouds as the wind blew hard, it was as if the wind itself was displeased with what was happening. He relieved a sigh as he said "I hear they're going to sent that little bastard in the mission. So it's that serious, huh? To send that irritating Death Breeze. I do have to say, it must be severe for them to send the leader of the ANBU." he then looked at Genji who did not speak as if he accepted the information without having a reply. Meanwhile, Fūrin was called to attend in the Hokage's office, and that she did. She went there standing in front of the Hokage, firmly and awaiting orders. She was then informed of the situation. "The Daimyō wants someone assassinated, but it would be a crisis if his particular mission fail, Fūrin. The Daimyō's support to Konoha relies on how we carry out this mission. I found you to be the most suitable for the mission. Your skill is unmatched in Konoha, do not fail me, Captain." said the Hokage. "I shall not fail you, you can take my word for it." she said as she took the information and was on her way. ''---Somewhere in Fire Country---'' There are few instances where Kawakami is genuinely surprised, so when he received a writ bearing the official seal of the he had spent the remainder of the day preparing for all out war. The fact that the courier had hand delivered the message, despite his attempts at remaining unseen meant that shinobi were involved. Konoha Shinobi. It wasn't until a messenger from the Merchants Guild came bearing a similar message for him to be speak with the Fire Daimyō within their compound did he relent. Cutthroat, and brutal the merchants of Fire Country may be, let it be said that they would never betray someone they owed a favor to, nor would they remove one of their most profitable business partners. After finally calming down and undoing the visible traps he had laid throughout the city in the event such a betrayal did happen he was finally ready to meet with the veritable head of Fire Country. Escorted into a luxurious room he was given a change for formal robes for his upcoming meeting and asked to remove all weaponry from his person. Disgruntled but unwilling to make a scene in the event the Daimyō was discreetly watching he quietly and graciously accepted the clothes, bathed, groomed himself and clothed himself once he was finished. The room he was seated in was spacious, and surprisingly barren given the normal extravagance he associated with the wealthy merchants. At the edge of his senses he could detect at least three if not possibly more of the Daimyō's personal guard--- the . Any one of them was powerful enough to be a challenge, but together? Shifting uncomfortably under the formal kimono he was wearing, Kawakami waited with bated breath contemplating just what the Daimyō's request would be, in a room filled with so many sealing formula's that if he would so much as leak even a mote of killing intent they would rob him of his voice, movement, and chakra in an instant. Clearly the man was a fellow student of paranoia, and while he may not enjoy the situation, it did nothing to diminish his admiration for the Daimyō's caution. Further thought was halted when the door across from slid open and in walked the Daimyō flanked by another shinobi. Said ninja whispered something in the Daimyō's ear, whose only response was to nod grimly before the ninja bowed and left us alone. The Daimyō was a man who was a stark contrast to his father; thin and frail while regarded as a weak, and indecisive ruler. He however was an imposing man, easily as tall as Kawakami himself with piercing dark brown eyes, a strong jawline and muscular frame. Had he been seen outside of his attire, one might think him a warrior. Indeed he was renown in some circles as a skilled fencer and could handle himself well, even against shinobi. His true strength however was his mind and charisma. He had successfully rounded many of the skeptic nobles and merchants who had lost much in the war, oversaw numerous political alliances and his economic proposals and ruthless negotiation tactics provided the capital for Fire Country to revitalize itself and remain as a world power today. Of course this wasn't their first meeting, he had met the Daimyō on other occasions but never one on one like this. Seating himself down the Daimyō remained silent as he poured himself a cup of steaming tea, sipping it comfortably. "You are a busy man, Kawakami-kun, as am I so let us dispense with formality and talk business." He said. And so they did. The Daimyō was surprisingly honest about the current state of affairs. Though the first three shinobi wars were bloody, horrific and generally damaging to people as a whole, economically they were extremely profitable. During peacetime the demand for highly skilled and expensive shinobi labor sharply declines and no village regardless of creed and continue to support itself on D and C-Rank missions alone. Thus war is inevitable. In fact the average time period between wars ranged anywhere from 15 - 20 years, just enough time for said Hidden Villages to prepare another generation for the next world conflict. Now while the average shinobi failed to see the pattern, blinded as they often are by village ideology, the nobility and by extension the merchants who profited from their wars were keenly aware. In fact, the Daimyō had gone so far as to imply that this was by design. It all boiled down to control, and the distribution of resources and the ability to make profit was something like a game played by the upper echelons of world politics. By purchasing the services of shinobi they could through the missions manipulate the progress of any given individual, city or nation at their leisure. Thus the game was born, territory's became cheap commodities, the lives of countless people pawns to be bought and brokered. It was sickening, but fascinating at the same time. To think the people most shinobi regarded as weak and perhaps even foolish were the true masterminds who dictated the state of the world. Then the Fourth Great Shinobi War happened and everything changed. This wasn't a battle for land, or profit but one of survival. Madara was a madman of the worst kind but in a way he was also the kindest warmonger of them all. The nobles were powerless, and many lost much of their holdings during the war as the Shinju decimated lands from one shore to the next. But the shinobi defeated this threat, and everything returned to what it once was. But that was no longer the case. For nearly a hundred years the nobility had believed in their superiority to leash the shinobi by becoming the sole financial backers of this institution. Now? Now they knew that any madman could upturn the world at a moments notice. So they introduced new players into the game. The infamous Black Crown, and other organizations all vying to topple the might of the shinobi villages. Let us use their loyalty against them, they said. Let us watch as they scurry around fighting one fire after another begging for our favor. The Daimyō may be ruthless but he did not share the same vision as his father, or so he said. But what they discussed was true. Kawakami had seen it first hand. While the Daimyō's fellows are content to enjoy the prospects of the added layers of the game, the Daimyō firmly believes in the threat that these organizations pose against the world order. Which brought them back to the original topic of discussion. The contract. A week ago there was a foiled assassination attempt on the Daimyō's cousin. It was reported that his cousins second-in-command was a supporter of Black Crown and had intended to kill his predecessor in order to rise in station and further the organizations goals. The reality is much darker than that. It is the cousin who is a Black Crown sympathizer and the contract was put on him. However the assassination was foiled by what evidence indicates Konoha shinobi. This brought up several alarming questions. How was the second-in-command privy to such classified information to counteract the attack and why? Immediately thereafter the Daimyō had his spies investigate and what they found only brought more questions. The second-in-command had been blackmailing the Daimyō's cousin into funding an unknown operation for an unknown group, and was using him as a shield against any scrutiny. If he doed, blame would surely fall at his feet and compromise him. So the Daimyō invented the tale of the cousin whose life was saved and casting the second-in-command into the role of an enemy. This ploy effectively drove a wedge between them. Then by issuing a contract on the second-in-commands life he hoped to draw out at least one of the moles in Konoha's forces. For so as long as they existed, he could not trust Konoha shinobi. Kawakami's official task was to act as the competitor and forcing the moles into a corner. Would they save their asset? Or let him taken in and interrogated? His unofficial mission is to draw out this mole, capture and interrogate them and out who they are and what their ultimate objective is. Hurricane Suite Fūrin's katana collided with Kawakami's great sword as it made some sparks from grinding metal together, the sound it created was loud as they were both fast on their exchange. The swords started shaking as both shinobi were trying to overpower one another. "You have a death wish, don't you? but I have to give it to you, I've never seen someone with bravery to approach me after my intimidation." she praised Kawakami as she got close to the sword in order to put her body weight on the sword in an attempt to over power Kawakami. As both were putting great force in pushing their swords against one another. The sky rained hard and thunder came down causing extremely loud sounds in the area, what was most notable was the amount of rain. "The sky is weeping, in honor of your death, Last Senju" she said in a sick tone. Fūrin did a sneaky trick where she sharpened her sword using her wind chakra. It was enough to clean cut a big dense piece of steel alloy, which is the hardest known steel. Her plans was for the sword to slice through Kawakami's sword and attack him directly. It was a diagonal slash across the face as the katana was positioned that way. After that, she knelt down while holding the katana, gripping it tightly with both of her hands. The hilt was beside her waist and the blade was directed outwards as she was in a lowered position after kneeling or rather ducking down. She then attempted a quick slash to the stem of his legs as a way to limit the speed of his movement by going for the side slash across both of his legs. The sword was then placed on the opposite side. The hilt was next to her waist again, but the blade was directed towards Kawakami this time. Fūrin was a master of Kenjutsu, being trained in the land of iron alongside Samurai, she managed to become very skillful with the sword, she managed to perform her moves with strength and swiftness, yet she wasn't done. As the sword was directed towards Kawakami, Fūrin used Body Flicker Technique, a jutsu that she practiced a lot and managed to reach a frightening level of speed when using. She flowed chakra in her legs in order to vitalize them as she leapt towards Kawakami as she rose from her lowered position to attempt to pierce Kawakami's abdomen with her sword. Body flicker was used in order to enhance the speed an brutality in order to ensure damage was dealt. Kawakami grunts in effort, as he raised his sword to block the strike aimed at his face. Stepping lightly he slides back angling his sword downward to catch her sword as they once again clash in a shower of golden sparks blocking the first two attacks. His eyes widen in surprise when he felt the brief spike of chakra as the ground beneath them was flattened by the shockwave of her chakra accumulating in her feet. The explosion of force sent them both soaring into the sky, Fuurin's slash grinding against his sword, making his arms tremble in exertion. But the force proves too much and with a might roar Fuurin completes her swing, the sheer force launching Kawakami up even higher, and knocking his sword upward leaving him vulnerable. Surprise is clearly evident on his face. Before she can capitalize on her victory, her senses pick up the soft whistle of wind as replication attempts to bifurcate her at the flank. Simultaneously the second clone barrels into her from the front in a pincer strike intended force her into the rear clones attack. Meanwhile Kawakami uses the brief window to catch his bearings tumbling through the air and landing in a low crouch. His hand flashes through a rapid series of hand seals, and bellows out, "KAI!". The clone to her front grins as its body begins to ignite and presumably detonate. "The clones, I forgot about them!" she said as she found herself attacked from the front and rear by clones. As an assassin, she was very agile, her body was capable to do flips and turns that a normal shinobi wouldn't be able to. As she saw the two clones closing in on her she freed her right arm from holding the sword. She was running directly at the clone in front of her. An explosive tag appeared in her hand as she performed her next move. It was a wonderful display of agility as she leapt in the air and did a single flip as she used the clone's back as a stepping stone to put her hand on. During that exchange, she sticked the tag on the back of the clone and used her momentum to push of his back and towards the real Kawakami. Fūrin was about to make the tag explode in hope of taking the two clones out with one shot. She was surprised to see that the clone himself exploded. She had caught a bit of the blast, which knocked her off balance, but it was nothing serious as she had pushed off from that area before the explosion. "Impressive, I have to say. It wouldn't have ended well for me if I was caught in that explosion." Fūrin states as she smirks "but the battle is far from over." she continued as she disappeared and reappeared in front of Kawakami. She then made multiple quick succession sword pierces aiming at different parts of his body. She then leapt back a fair distance of about twenty meters as she threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it. The tag exploded as soon as it was in range of Kawakami. Cursing under his breath, Kawakami shifted back, bringing his sword to bear as he began slashing furiously at Fuurin's attack. Clanging metal ringed in his ears with each strike he narrowly deflected but one managed to nick him across the cheek drawing blood. He was momentarily thrown off balance when he rushed forward to begin his counterattack when she suddenly disappeared. His only warning of her next attack was the sizzling of the exploding tag before it exploded. The kunai detonated with a thunderous roar, but not before Kawakami . He reappeared to the side, but slightly singed from the resulting explosion. Eyes narrowed, he gave the kunoichi an appraising look. "That swordplay... I thought I recognized it. I didn't know the was in the business of training shinobi in their ." Huffing in irritation his hand forms a single seal, causing his mouth to bulge comically before he unleashes . Almost immediately his hand goes through another hand seal and at the front of the miniature tsunami a surfing on the wave. It's hands flash rapidly through hand seals and then slamming them down into the wave. A , cackling with power as they rush towards Fuurin. "Water Style combined with Lightning style, give me a break." she said as she got out a Kunai with an explosive tag attached to it with a wire string, the string was relatively short and she hid the fact the it was attached to an explosive tag. She threw the kunai with all her might at a seventy five degree angle from her standing position. The kunai intentionally missed Kawakami's clone as it was on its way across the whole battlefield. Without wasting anytime she weaved the following hand seals (Ram → Rat → Bird → Boar → Tiger) as she said "Wind Style Stream" she then blew a hugely wide-ranged stream of wind with great velocity. She managed to evolve this technique to this level. As she blew the massive wind wave, her intention was to annihilate the clone as well as the attack. As the force of the wind technique was great, as they both collided, the wind's brunt force managed to push the water wave away, knocking it away with force as it rained on Kawakami when it was blown away.She then looked at Kawakami. "You're like a cat, you possess nine lives. How many times am I suppose to kill you before you die." said Fūrin as she joked about how many of her previous attempts failed in killing Kawakami. "If I was you, I would watch my head." she said as she pointed to the sky. As Kawakami looked up he saw many explosive tags, hundreds raining on top of him. When Fūrin weaved the previous hand seals, it wasn't her wind technique. It was a disguise to make Kawakami think it was the wind technique while it was the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, used to duplicate the explosive tags attached to the Kunai. The reason for the seventy five degree throw was for the kunai to get altitude and for it to run across the field. Now Kawakami was standing in a death trap as Fūrin made the confrontation hand seal in order to detonate the tags, while making sure she was out of the explosion radius. "Kai...." she said as the tags raining on Kawakami's head started exploding, which caused very loud noises as well as damage to the surroundings. Fūrin watched the fireworks as she awaited her next action, which was going to be determined by the outcome of her attack. A frown found its way on Kawakami's face, his eyes darting between the falling kunai that would certainly spell his doom if he failed to act. For the Commander of ANBU, the Death's Breeze was certainly a chatty one. Thankfully time spent giving him lip, was time he could spend preparing a defense. While she was mouthing off at her inability to kill him, he discreetly reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll and in a flourish it unseals revealing a sealing formula imprinted on its parchment. At its center is a . The moment of detonation a vortex of spiraling kanji pools outward from the sealing scroll drawing in the flames like a great vacuum. The deafening crack of thunder as the explosions go off nearly rings his ears but he remains still as the entirety of the conflagration funnels into the sealing array, forming a (封) at its center. The scroll furls back in his outstretched hand and he gives Fuurin a pointed look, then shakes his head with haughty derision. His hand flashes through three hand seals. A pulse of chakra, a feeling of vertigo and and then the entire area is blanketed by a . But while Fuurin's sight may be compromised her hearing isn't, and just moments into the formation of the mist she could hear the 'pitter patter' of foot-steps as what are likely to be form into existence, that is until their movements too become deathly silent. For a moment there is nothing and then the first few drops of water descend from above, drenching the area that eats away at Fuurin's chakra. Fūrin was surprised as the Uzumaki man survived her attack once more. He used a creative way of sealing her explosive tags. As he looked at her with his sharp eyes than pierced her, Fūrin had an impassive look on her face. She was waiting for the Uzumaki to perform his next attack. As the mist consumed the area, Fūrin impassive look became more of an irritated look as she raised her right eyebrow. "Kirigakure no Jutsu. A technique used by the hunters of Kirigakure. It is famous indeed. However, every technique has a flaw, which can be exploited. This technique is rather troublesome I have to say." she said as she closed her eyes and concentrated. The area was completely consumed in whiteness as she couldn't see a thing. Nonetheless, Fūrin was experienced at silent killing. She surpassed many shinobi in that art and was said to rival Zabuza himself when it came to that style. She didn't create any sound. However, Kawakami could notice and locate her from the sense of her chakra signature, which would be clear as she is consumed by his own chakra that is the mist. She then heard some sounds of people walking on water it seemed. She knew his clones were coming for her. She then felt the rain intensifying as some of the rain ate her chakra slowly. "A chakra absorption technique? now this is troublesome." she thought as she hid her chakra for him to not notice it even with his great sensory skills. She then took shelter from the rain in the wrecks of the destroyed mansion as she hid under some wood planks. Her movements were silent that it was undetectable especially with the sound of the rain. "Alright, I need to analyze the situation here. He's a jack of all trades it seems. He can attack with three elements. Fire, lightning and water. He can use Fūinjutsu as well. He seems to be able to endure fear as well as I have not phased him with my first attempt of intimidation. He seems to concentrate on water based techniques so I will go by the assumption that it's his affinity. However, no one is the perfect shinobi. His diversity in style made it impossible to master an of them. He can adapt to many situations using his wide range of skill, but he is yet to excel in any. Not to mention that each technique has a weakness. I could feel the rain draining my chakra slowly, but surely. I assume that the speed of the absorption is limited, meaning that I have to perform techniques at a fast rate in order for me to get a hit on him. Yet, I feel like this technique can be stopped somehow. He seems to have done it last in order of his techniques, not that I could see him do it, but I felt it. What does this mean? I will go by the assumption that it drains chakra while maintained, but for a wide range technique like that, it needs for the user to concentrate in order to perform it. I doubt he would be able to perform other techniques while having this one activated. These are all assumptions, but I have no choice but to trust them. Now, it's time to make a move. I need to keep my chakra hidden from him until he tires himself out. The technique probably has a limited range as well, so he won't go far with it." she thought as she made sure that she doesn't even make sound while breathing. She hid under her shelter in order to think of a counter strategy to Kawakami's attacks, while he was busy wasting his own chakra maintaining the rain. Kawakami was momentarily perplexed by Fuurin's abrupt change in tactics. Instead of attacking him, she opted to remain hidden, forgoing any counterattack. Though he may have been visually blinded by the hidden mist, his years of training in silent killing coupled with his made such obstacles moot. He could clearly discern her location, despite her attempts at stealth. Sending a silent command to his water clones he instructed them to begin the next phase of his attack. Four water clones move into a delta formation surrounding Fuurin, keeping her pinned between them, raining kunai attached to ninja wire crisscrossing over one another until they form a web of steel and blades. With so many thin wires over her position and the thick fog obscuring her vision, evasion is going to be difficult. But that precludes the final phase of his trap. As the four clones stand at each corner, pool of wire held in one hand, while in the other goes through hand seals. Fuurin feels a very familiar surge of elemental chakra, and then she understood the trap. The ninja wire's were not only there to pin her down but serve as a conduit for the lightning, and in this water soaked environment, even if she somehow dodged a direct hit, there was little she could do to escape the collateral damage. Even the mist rain itself was yet another layer to disable and hinder any defense she could possibly mount. All this realized in a moment and then lightning cackles in the air, her only warning before dance across the network of wires and converging at the center where she is pinned. It was like the wrath of an angry thunder god, . Fūrin is hiding under some broken wood planks as she sheltered herself from the chakra draining rain. She needs to think of countermeasures. "Alright, got it." she thought as her eyes narrows, her face has that expression of slight worry as a sweat drop runs on her cheek. Her chest is moving as she pants from exhaustion, yet she doesn't make the slightest sound. She knew that he was going to locate her if he had any skill in sensory. She knew most of his elements so she knows what to expect. She crouched down as she sneaks into the wrecks of the destroyed mansion. She expected an attack. As she was thinking of an opening to execute her "plan" she feels the ground shaking. The sound of rocks that emerged from the ground rung in her ears as she felt the surge of lightning chakra. She couldn't see a thing from the mist. "Damn it, lightning release. Tsk, can't say I didn't expect it with all this water I'm covered in." she thought as she gets out of the shelter. She then feels the lightning running through the wires as she creates a wind blade cutting the wires in order to decrease the conductivity of electricity. Simultaneously, she jumps out of the water, panting out of exhaustion of physical effort. She gets out of the water as she is exposed to the rain. She couldn't perform a technique as it would be weakened by the rain. She flows wind chakra in her body as the lightning strikes her in order to decrease the damage. The lightning bolt crushed the wrecks of the mansion and hit Fūrin directly. Her face switches to this uneasy look as her eyes shut, trying to endure the attack by the wind chakra in her body. Her clothes that were soaked in water made it hard for her. However, her wind affinity gave her the ability to absorb most of the lightning bolt, yet she was damaged. As the attack stops, Fūrin kneels down, panting out of desperation. Her mask was destroyed and broken right in front of her. Her clothes had rips in them as the rain slowly drained away her chakra with every drop. She has to stop the rain, but getting rid of the mist comes as her first priority as she needs to locate Kawakami. She gracefully, slowly stands up as an aura of blue appears around her, glowing. She then releases a current of wind using her body as the center of the blast, the wind blew the mist away in a second. Fūrin pants as her beautiful face is visible. She's soaked in water as water drops fell from her hair and body. She then saw the clones and Kawakami clearly. "What an opponent, I applaud you. Any normal kunoichi would have been crushed by that attack. Unfortunately, I'm no normal kunoichi." she says as she forms a bomb composed of compressed and concentrated wind right behind Kawakami as the grenade exploded, it releases a blast of compressed air, destroying parts in the ground underneath Kawakami, creating a hole in the ground. The blast even made its way towards Fūrin with great speed, Fūrin's hair dances in the air as the blast comes towards her, her eyes narrow from the wind as she is erased, merging with air. The blast is then over as it destroyed the area, leaving craters and marks in the ground. The man that was targeted by Kawakami and Shikaze, despite being relatively far from the battlefield and the blast, was blown away a several meters. He fell on his arm, breaking it. Yet, he was unconscious, nearly dead, as he was clearly taking his last breaths. Fūrin then reforms from thin air as dust covered the area, using her wind, she blew the dust away and searched for traces of Kawakami. His chakra absorbing rain stopped as the natural rain proceeded to fall heavily in the battlefield. Category:AbysmalShadows Category:Storyline